Project Cars--You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"

Mr_Shiftright

The guy is jerking you around---forget it.

fortee9er

Hi Shifty,
I lived in Forest Hills (Forest Hills HS grad) , Kew Gardens, and Rego Park for a number of years. NY is very hard on cars I would not want to buy a NY car because I've seen what that enviroment does to cars in a very short period of time.
Since we are going down memory lane; In the mid 1960s we moved to an apartment complex in Forest Hills and the parking lot had a few abandoned Renault Dauphine and then one day my dad's 1960 Olds 98 joined them because the engine seized.

Mr_Shiftright

NY pounds cars into piles of debris in short order, that's for sure. New York City specializes in punishing cars and their owners. And really, given the problems of traffic and congestion, I don't say I blame the Big Apple for being cruel.

gsemike

I actually went back to Queens today. Zipping around those side streets in Whitestone and Elmhurst, I was thinking how did I used to do this all the time without going out of my mind?

Mr_Shiftright

I know--it's what you're used to I guess. To some people, waking up in the morning and feeding the yaks is just everyday life. :P

If I moved back to Queens, like in a nightmare or something, I'd own a 4X4 Checker Cab with a push bar, tinted glass, NAV, great sound system, automatic door locks, alarm, truck tires and a small motorcycle in the back seat (it'd fit, too).

explorerx4

i remember talking one of my russian buddies at work about when he worked in ny.
one comment was 'blazer(chevy) was very good for MAKING parking spaces'. :surprise:

fezo

Speaking of New York vehicles that's something I neglected to check when I bought my 04 CPO Ody. It spent its first couple of years in Brooklyn. I didn't check over the paint closely largely because that day was like today (it's snowing like mad here in NJ) and sure enough under the job they did on the chips the paint had seen better days but it's been fine and doesn't rattle or anything after I've had it a couple of years. It was enough of an experience at first though that I'll never forget to check where a car came from again.

Speaking of the snow, there's nothing like the first real snow of winter to make you prove that there really is just enough room in the garage to put the convertible....

explorerx4

the home i live in now is our second one.
the first one, i said i don't care what it looks like as long as it has a 2 car garage.
this house, my main requirement was a 3 car garage, 1 for the convertible.

there are about 30k people in the town i live in.
can there really be 3 90's grey 300zx's in the same town?
my neighbor 3 houses down has one, i see another one that has a 'stillen' banner across the top of the windshield and now another one?

fezo

That's pretty amusing.

I only have the one car garage. In a couple of years I'll me moving one way or another. If I stay in state to keep a house that's never been out of the family it has a two car garage. If I go elsewhere tow car is minimum.

I have a red 99 Celica convertible. I've seen an identical car around town and the other day I found it lives like two blocks from here. Maybe I should find some time when the owner isn't at home and swap some parts. I suppose that's not actually a good idea...

jlflemmons

Well, having something no one else has can be good and bad. I have the only Blazer xTreme in the area, but that means it is pretty easy to figure out who is driving like a maniac. The good part is that I can remind my son of that very same issue whenever I allow him to drive it. :shades:

fintail

My E55 is in a rare color, one of 80 sold that year according to a MB forum I read. There's another one in the same color in my town, i have seen it a few times and once I actually drove behind it. What are the odds?

In the town where I went to school there was another fintail in the same color as mine, but it was in much worse condition.

qbrozen

Well, shifty, I know we said not to bury myself ... but I couldn't take it anymore. I broke down and spent more money on the Z this weekend. $79 for a new CD/MP3/USB stereo! ;b That, in addition to whatever door speakers were left in there and an Infinity Basslink I happened to have sitting around, makes for a pretty nice setup.

I really hoped I could get the original to work, but one of the POs just did a number on it. Weird thing is the way they went about putting things out of commission. For instance, stereo fuse removed, harnesses removed, but all wiring beyond the harness left in place. Additionally, the original setup had an amp under the seat. I saw wires hanging out from there, so I pulled the seat and found the removed the amp, but left the wires there. Ugh.

Oh, I did get the heat to work at no cost, though. Once again, I found that, in a fit of incompetence, they pulled the relay loose and left it sitting ever so lightly on the receiver (in addition to pulling the fuse). Huh. What in the world would possess someone to do that? Anyway, after a half hour or so of troubleshooting, I discovered this, pushed it back into place, and voila. Heat! Auto climate system seems to work perfectly so far, sans A/C, of course.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you're staying lucky, that's good. Those old stereos generally suck anyway, so the new one will make driving much more pleasurable. Excellent that you got the HVAC controls to work.

qbrozen

I suppose we could call some of it luck.
We should probably give some credit to Nissan, too, though ... maybe.

Just seems like these cars hold up pretty well (mechanically, at least).

fintail

This can't be common

Malaisey

Open top money pit

Battlecruiser

Andre commuter car

Mr_Shiftright

81 200SX convertible---it's very uncommon because it never existed. It's a chop and the price is delusional. Compare to a Celica "sunchaser" chop job, in value.

76 Rolls --- half the asking price would be a gift to the seller

69 Lincoln --- head her into the wind---launch aircraft!!! Asking price is exact retail. Fair enough.

67 Pontiac 4D --too much money. Try half that. This is a plain jane that needs paint and bodywork. Get real please. Might make a good parts car for a Cat convertible.

texases

I think that 200sx is an aftermarket convertible, I don't think they came that way from the factory...as for $25k, WOW :sick:

fintail

I have to believe the 200SX guy means $2500. He has to. Nobody, even in Centralia, can be that delusional.

I have noticed that a lot of sellers who use ".00" in their prices tend to be a little slow when it comes to numbers in general. I hope it's a typo anyway. 25 grand should buy about a dozen of those things.

fintail

I just did a quick google and saw reference to an Intermeccanica 200SX conversion. I suspect it is less than rigid.

Mr_Shiftright

For $25,000 you can buy a nice one and FLY it to Italy and have it chopped beautifully.

texases

You're right, a number of aftermarket firms did it for the 200sx, apparently: Sparlingco(1981-1982), Intermeccanica(1982), American Custom Coachworks(1981-1983), Magic Marketing(Merlin)(1980)

andre1969

That '67 Catalina actually looks like it's pretty loaded up, for that timeframe. It has some stuff that my '67 convertible doesn't have, such as power windows, a center armrest in the front seat, full gauges, and a clock. I have no idea if that's the correct clock, though...it looks kinda clashy to me.

Pictures can be deceiving, but it looks like its bumpers are in better shape than mine. My bumpers need to be re-chromed, and the back bumper has a dent in it. The lower stone shield/valance panel, where the front license plate attaches, also looks like it's in better shape.

Heck, if I could get it for $2500 or less, and it was more local, I'd be tempted to give it a home! Perhaps swap the bumpers with my convertible, but still keep the car on as beater or something.

Mr_Shiftright

It's not a car that makes much sense no matter how you cut it, unless you "cut it up" for your 'vert. If you keep it, all you have is a car that eats gas and that nobody will look at or care about. You might as well be driving an old Chevy pickup truck, which at least you can USE for something.

I'd make a lowball offer on a car like this if I had a convertible or 2-d hardtop version, and then strip it for that good OEM chrome and all those hard to find trim bits. You know what good re-chroming costs these days---those bumpers are worth a lot if they are really nice. And the dash, and instruments, and knobs and switches are all very valuable and very very hard to find.

You couldn't use the doors or interior panels unfortunately. I'd certainly snatch the carb and distributor. You might be able to sell the block to someone who needs a "date correct" mill.

boomchek

It's funny how these Rolls Royces looked the same from the mid 70s to 1992 or whneever was their last year.

I never liked them, but recently I've warmed up to that style for some reason.

I like the Catalina in as is shape. It would be a decent boat to cruise around in during spring and summer.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah if you could buy it cheap enough. I think it's homely in that body style myself.

For a 60s car, remarkably BLAH.

andre1969

that Catalina's not a 4-door hardtop. If it was, I'd probably get a bit more excited about it. For some reason, I'm not really that crazy about the 2-door hardtop version of the Catalina, or any of the GM B-bodies that year. I think the roofline on them is just TOO fast. The '65-66 models, in contrast, seemed to have just the perfect amount of slope to them.

Even as a 4-door sedan with a pillar though, I like it. Nice color, too.

jlflemmons

Sad to say, but out of that list, I would say the little Bobcat might be the only one I would consider, and that as a little runabout.

As much bad press as the Pinto/Bobcat got, they are a hoot to drive, cheap to maintain, and as simple as a model T.

A friend had one of the "only car in America for under $2000" Pinto's that he and his family put 100K miles on. At one time they let me borrow it for a week. It was white and had been parked under a pecan tree for many months, and had the mildew and sap on the paint to prove it. I washed the car with Softscrub with bleach and the paint underneath all that "stuff" was great. His jaw hit the ground when I brought it back with what looked like a new paint job!

lilelvis

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/1063735065.html

"I have been told that if someone wanted to rebuild it the parts would cost around $ 7k"

Really? I have been told monkeys fly out your a**, but I doubt that as well.

lilelvis

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/1063731698.html

36K and he'll throw in a Haynes manual . . .

lilelvis

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/1063731462.html

The same guy as the salvage Cayman and the same price. Maybe he's into numerology. Seems like it would be tough to register.

boomchek

VW Beetle. Neat but I'm not sure you can register it in the USA. Besides Ihave a feeling if you go to Mexico you can find a similar vintage one for much much less.

Mr_Shiftright

I like the part about "I won't sell this car to just anyone".

As if he wouldn't take my $36,000 if I showed up in a Bozo the Clown outfit.

jlflemmons

That Bug would have to pass emissions and safety regs to be registered in the US because it is a 2004 model and must meet 2004 standards. You can register an early model Bug because it was originally built for sale in the US. But there is no way you could make that thing meet the requirements. Bumpers, side door beams, SRS, just for starters. Emissions? Why not? Mexico City is renowned for it's clean air, right?

boomchek

Yeah, I like those ads where the seller wants to get picky who the car goes to.

You're not giving it away for free, and if you care so much, then don't sell it.

I saw an episode of monster garage where Jesse James buys an El Camino in decent shape, or at least all original.

The person who sold him the car was a bit shocked when he learned it was going to be chopped up for some kind of a project.

Mr_Shiftright

Too bad. Generally when you sell something, you don't own it anymore. :P

Mr_Shiftright

Just got back from looking at 6 vehicles from an estate---old gent who passed away, and the feduciary needs to know value.

Picture a dark, damp under-house garage in San Francisco, with cobwebs, rats, wet floors, trash all over, one light bulb.

'57 T-Bird -- car was all there, every piece of it. Looked like engine was covered in fire extinguisher material. Last license plate 1985. Dirty top to bottom, damp inside, all chrome tarnished, tires flat.

'56 Lincoln Continental--repainted dark blue over original light blue, chrome all tarnished, leather seats color worn in place, dirty top to bottom, two batteries in engine bay, tilted on their sides, last license plates 2004, trunk torn up, tires all flat, oily and greasy underneath, one fender with lumps of bondo.

1924 Peugeot 72 RE touring car--solid body with some crude body work, very original looking, engine looked fairly clean, tires bald and flat, chrome all tarnished, last license plate 1982, had very cool "snake horn" that you squeeze (still works). Dashboard looks like cheap plywood w/ stain.

96 Harley 883, gas cap off, tank empty and dirty inside, not bad condition, all dusty and dirty, saddlebags torn. Sheet metal okay, mufflers pitted, fork tubes rusted.

??Kawasaki Mach III 500 -- have no idea when these were made or much about them. Looks like it could run. Complete, dirty.

?? BMW, very cool bike, probably a late 40s early 50s w/ 600 cc, straight fork, flared fenders, solo seat with pannier pad in back, hinged rear fender, shaft drive (exposed). Dirty but decent, solid, engine spins free. Last run 20 years ago.

Right off the top, I'd say the BMW is worth the most of the whole lot.

boomchek

You could fit all those in a San Francisco car garage? :confuse:

fintail

That BMW could be something desireable yeah...I have seen prewar German bikes with accessories going for big bucks, a maybe slightly newer one can't exactly be worthless.

toomanyfumes

Those Kawasaki Mach III's were made in the early 70's. A friend has two, they are two strokes, fast and loud handle like crap and the power comes on so fast the front wheel lifts and will flip right over if you're not careful

There are a lot of enthusiasts for these bikes but you can still buy one for a reasonable price.

grahampaige

My old man had one of those Mach III's He sold it when he got so many speeding tickets, he almost lost his licence

Those things are scary, being a pillion on that bike scared me away from bikes for life :surprise: They were supposed to be the fastest production road bike from about 71/72 up until he mid to early 80's. The 750 version was so powerful it would twist the chassis when you opened the taps full (a mate of dads has one of those, was his daily ride)

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah SF garages in old Victorians run the entire length of the building, front to back.

The old BMW (I think it's about a 49-50 w/ 600 cc) should be worth some money.

I do recall those old Kawasaki's being quite scary. The suspension and braking on Japanese bikes in the 1970s was kind of a joke, so with all that power, one can only imagine the number of early deaths.

Somebody will want the Harley, bucket of bolts that it is. At least this one has the belt drive and the EVO motor, so it might not vibrate itself to death quite so fast.

fintail

Is the BMW the prewar style with the longer lower gas tank that kind of aligns with the top bar of the frame, or the postwar style with the taller tank?

Tell them I will bid $100 for it

Mr_Shiftright

It's the prewar style. I'd guess that it's a 1952 or 1953 R51/3.

jlflemmons

A buddy had a '73 Mk III that the engine had been gone through thoroughly, and was scary fast. Rode it once. He told me to be sure I wasn't in the throttle when it crossed 3000RPM. Well, I wasn't paying enough attention, and at 3500 in third gear, the front end came off the ground so suddenly I nearly fell off the bike! :surprise:

I drove it slowly back home and never got on it again. After several close calls, he sold it.

Mr_Shiftright

One reason I guess I stayed hooked on British and German bikes must have been my experiences in the 70s and 80s. Probably my observations are a bit dated, but back then (I rode motorcycles of all types all over the country), you could trust the handling on a Brit bike or a BMW, but you could easily kill yourself on a Japanese superbike or a Harley. The latter two had too much power for the chassis, suspension and brakes.

Now of course Japanese bikes would shame any Harley, and they handle very well. Ditto BMWs, another good handling bike.

But road bikes today are too big, too heavy, too fast (Italians excepted, god bless 'em) . They've almost fallen into absurdity. You need a crane to lift one if you drop it.

I like road bikes lean and mean. I could imagine restoring an old BMW or Triumph but if I ever re-did a Kawasaki Mach III, I'd make every modification necessary to keep from having it kill me. Authenticity be damned.

My old BMW--I could lift that bike easily if it feel on its side. Same with my Norton Atlas.

grahampaige

he mach III over here was nicknamed "The widow maker"

fintail

I am certain this is the same car another seller listed about a month ago for $1800...don't try a quick flip on a car very few people want.

boomchek

Nice looking Benz. I'm sure the euro headlights would make it look nicer. However I wouldn't do anything else to the car.

If he can find a buyer for that coin he'll be lucky. You're right there's probably only a handful of people following the market of these Benzes.

gsemike

I think that the wheels and flares look like aftermarket cheese. Is that all factory?

fintail

It might have been worth the $1800 or whatever the original seller wanted, but this price is a little tough as the car appears to need some cosmetic TLC.

It's a car for wackos...but I wouldn't mind having a pristine one.